As the story goes, the coin – which was minted at the Philadelphia facility in 1912, even though it bared a 1913 date was believed to have been either produced illegally by a U.S. Mint worker or for use as a test die, as it was the same year in which the government swapped out the Liberty head obverse in favor of the popular Buffalo head design. The five coins, which were first exposed to the public in 1920, were eventually split up, with one copy ending up in the hands of a coin dealer out of North Carolina, who purchased the coin for $3,750 in the 1940s and was in possession of the piece when he was killed in a car accident in 1962.

Though the coin won’t likely go through that kind of roller coaster again now that it has been properly recognized (unless, of course, the coin comes with a curse, which could be conceivable given its history) the recent sale certainly adds to its lore. Considering the new buyer has stated he intends to hold on to the piece, don’t be surprised if a 1913 Liberty Nickel fetches big bucks if it ever comes up for auction again.